How NOT to pitch to me for a link
Scenology — By Adele on 1 October, 2008 7:08 pmLook here.
If you write to me how much you like my blog, and then suggest to “swap links”, what it tells me is that you don’t like my blog all that much. If you did, you’d link to it, swap or not. False flattery makes me cross, and I don’t link to people when I’m cross. I don’t think much of the concept of “link swapping”, but I realise it’s here to stay; suggest it if you want to, but don’t hold me for an idiot and gush to me about how much you like my writing. If you’re offering a business relationship, be businesslike.
Don’t address me as “dear blogger”, “dear spanking enthusiast” or dear anything, if it’s not my name. You’re asking for a favour, OK? You want a piece of my traffic, have enough courtesy to ask me for it personally.
And if you mix both of these pet peeves together, and write to me something along the lines of “Dear blogger, your blog is excellent”, and proceed to send it to a mailing list of forty – I’m going to add you to my personal irk list. It’s a dark, dank place, and you don’t want to be there.
No love,
the girl with traffic.
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11 Comments
Hear, hear! I personally ignore any such notes I receive. The ones that particularly bother me are the ones left in comments on blog posts, especially when it’s obvious that the person has not really read much of the blog, just determined it’s in more or less the right category of blog.
I agree. My two blog rolls contain blogs that I genuinely check out regularly, I have no problem with people who do not want to link back and feel some pride that I have never asked for a link from anyone. There is no problem in having commercial blogs, on the contrary, as an end line consumer I want there to be blogs out there showing us what our bucks can buy but they have to show that they are coming from real enthusiasts and not vanillas who are after a quick buck.
Want a link then produce an interesting blog and interact with the rest of the kink blogging world, in a genuine manner.
Prefectdt
Chris – funnily enough, comment spam doesn’t bother me as much, possibly because it doesn’t put any expectations on me; it just lands and sits there, until I bulk-delete it. The emails actually want me to take action on their behalf: check out a site, read a blog, post a link, etc. I’m lazy, I’m not going to do all these things for somebody who holds me for an idiot, or doesn’t even bother to send an email to me personally.
Prefectdt – I’m all for asking for links, actually. If somebody has a great blog, I WANT them to email me, or I might miss it. However, the second I see the “dear blogger” headline, their blog just doesn’t seem that interesting to me any more.
Adele, my dear, I made this only for you – totally personalized!
http://img214.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=49499_ludwig_lolcat_122_221lo.jpg
Gosh. And here I am with loads of sidebar links to blogs I added simply because I felt guilty not doing so. Must be a J vs. P thing.
Ludwig,
Niki… delete the ones you don’t like, and I’ll help you get rid of the guild with the help of a bendy stick. How’s that?
Hehe, Smudge & I got an email like that a couple of days ago. We were polite enough to check out the site, but linking to it? No way. I made Smudge write the “thanks but no thanks” email though. I’m way too scared I might insult someone for that…
Heh, I am SO pleased to finally see some traction for the meme that a link swap offer is insulting. I never have enjoyed being told “Your site is great, I’d even link to it if you would give me a bunch of free traffic in return.”
Not so very great as all that, then, is it?
Adele, on the other hand, is every bit as great as all that. ;-)
Dan, I like you :)
See,Adele, I thought of putting my blog into ‘website’ thereby donating a link :)
You are absolutely right and I take the same stance. I have never accepted any of these syrupy ‘Great blog, Alex, love it to bits..now will you link to mine’ appeals, because, like you, I value the people who say nice things without strings attached. They really are worth keeping as readers and I value them all. And I hate it when people send ‘comments’ to my blog which are simply bits of brief flattery and a link to their website…a means of getting through by the back door, or so they hope.
Anyway best wishes with the blog..and I WILL meet you some day :)
Alex
Absolutely, Alex, one of these days :)